Sandile Zulu rose to prominence in the late 1990s upon receiving wide critical and curatorial support. His unique methodology of burning and scorching canvasses and other materials has distinguished him as an original figure within an important post-apartheid generation of artists in Johannesburg. Zulu’s work is marked by overt experimentation, giving expression to his wide-ranging interests in biology, botany, history and philosophy. Using a variety of flammable and charred instruments, his practice often assumes a ritual-like process.

Zulu has been the recipient of several awards including the President’s Award at the 6th Biennale of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery in Victoria, Seychelles, and the Civitella Ranieri Fellowship Award in Umbertide, Italy. Zulu recently featured in the Artists in Dialogue series at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, USA. In 2014, he was exhibited in ARTOMS: Histopathology, Regeneration and Other Cases – Continued at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery in Johannesburg.